A Flower to Remember
by MarshmallowMayhem
Summary: Phic Fight entry 3 Prompt by Wolfsongroar / Wolfsong / Wolfsongroar Ashes (death mentions tw) - Ember is in town, but she doesn't want attention or revenge or power. Instead, as she stands outside the remains of a building long burned down, all she needs is someone to talk to. Mr. Lancer has taken the day off to pay his respects to an old friend. But someone else is already there


When Mr. Lancer left his home that day he noticed the leaves were starting to change color. It seemed early in the year, but, consider what day it was, it also seemed fitting. The bright oranges and red reminded him of flames, just beginning to eat their way through the remaining green. By the end of the week, the trees would look like burning matchsticks and the week following they would begin to brown and fall off, eventually leaving only skeletal remains.

Lancer closed his eyes for a moment to dwell on that thought before getting into his car.

To arrive at the school he would normally turn left at the end of the street, but today he turned right. A substitute would be handling his classes, just like they did every year on this day.

Lancer headed into town and stopped only long enough to pick up a few flowers. Orange Lillies, the kind that looked just a bit like elegant flames. Part of him always wondered if it was disrespectful to get these flowers, considering the circumstances, but they had always been her favorite and he couldn't bring himself to get anything else.

Getting back in his car Lancer continued his drive out of the main part of town and into the suburbs. He passed several new houses and then a few older ones before making his way into the run down part of town. He pulled to a stop in front of an empty lot with overgrown weeds and other unkept plants. Somewhere in that mess of foliage was the burnt remains of a house, long forgotten to nature. In front of that house was someone Lancer had not expected to see at all.

Staring at the back of the teen idol he tried to recall what name had been on the posters. The students had been crazy about her for about a week and then she disappeared without a trace. The only evidence she had ever existed was her one and only album, which was still sold in stores, and it's hit song which continued to remain at the top of the charts in spite of the missing idol. Not that Lancer paid any attention to such things.

Turning off the ignition and grabbing the flowers Lancer exited his car. It wasn't really his business what she was doing, but he was a teacher and she was most certainly young enough to be in school.

"Miss," Lancer began.

The blue haired teen ignored him. She seemed awfully pale, now that he saw her up close. It reminded him of the ghosts that often terrorized the town, but she was also wearing her stage costume so it was likely just part of her gimmick.

Lancer walked around the back of his car and tried again.

"It's, Ember, correct? May I ask what you're doing here?"

"None of your business, old man," Ember snapped glaring daggers at him. "It's a free county. I can stand where I want."

"Fair enough," Lancer replied. He didn't like how rudely she was speaking to him but he probably wouldn't get anywhere by calling her out on it. So instead he stood quietly and stared at the abandoned property and its unkempt yard.

"Do you mind," Ember asked sourly.

Lancer met her glare with a raised eyebrow.

She crossed her arms and practically snarled at him. "I came here to have a moment alone and you're kinda killing the vibe."

"Well excuse me," Lancer replied flatly, "but I happen to have business here."

As Lancer held up the flowers Embers's eyes widened in surprise.

"Lillies?"

"Yeah." Lancer smiled sadly. The girl who used to live here loved this flower, so every year I bring a few.

Ember continued to look surprised and then glanced down. Her arms shifting to hold herself in a self-conscious manner.

"So, what? Were you were friends or something."

Lancer smiled again. "Something like that. I was a cheerleader, she was part of the school band and an amazing musician. There wasn't a single instrument she couldn't play."

Ember chuckled, "school band huh, sound a bit geeky."

"Yes a bit, but she had an amazing voice and passion for rock music. Something I believe you and her have in common."

Ember fell silent and looked away. When she did finally speak her tone was sharp and angry again. "So what, lost of kids can sing and love rock. Didn't make her special." Embers voice had turned bitter.

"I disagree. She was just good and passionate, she worked hard to get better. There wasn't a single day she wasn't writing new lyrics or learning new songs. She wasn't the type to wait for an opportunity to come her way, she actively sought a chance to make her debut. That's something very few teenagers are willing to do. That made her special."

Ember's shoulder fell. She still refused to look his way but she did seem to be listening.

Lancer quietly stepped forward to lay the flowers against the fence post. From his back pocket he pulled out a photo of a girl with an old guitar, her hair pulled back in a short ponytail. She was smiling. He tucked it into the flowers.

Ember watched him, still surprisingly quiet.

"So, what? You come here every year?"

"That's right," Lancer said tucking his hands into his pockets as he stood. "Every year I come, I leave her favorite flowers and remember what she was like before it all went downhill."

"Yeah, burning up in a fire will do that to ya." Ember laughed bitterly.

Lancer shook his head. "That's just the last part."

Ember was quiet for a moment, but only a moment. "Tell me."

Lancer shrugged. "It was typical teen heartache. When you grow up you don't think much of it, but at the time it felt like a big deal. My friend...she was so excited. A boy she liked actually asked her out. She spent hours getting ready only to be stood up. She tried making excuses at first, maybe she got the date wrong, or he just forgot, but two weeks later she found out he was with another girl and when she confronted him about it he acted like they didn't even know each other. She was devastated. She went home and just wanted to be alone. If not for the fire she might have been able to move on, get a new boyfriend, someone that actually cared, but she never got the chance."

"And what about you?" Ember asked. "Why don't you move on? She's just some dead girl. Easy to forget, right?"

This time lancer was the one who glared. "That dead girl was my friend," he said sharply. "What happened to her was a tragedy. I will never forget."

Once again Ember looked surprised and then she gave a small sad smile. "So only one person remembers the lonely heartbroken girl. It's still pretty lame."

"I'm not the only one."

Ember's eyes widened.

"I'm just the only one that still comes here. Everyone else goes to the cemetery. It's not a large group, just a couple of people who remember her from school, her parents still come every year. Not everyone can come every year, but whenever I see my old classmates they still remember her. We end up talking for hours about what she was like and then lamenting what could have been."

Ember was looking done again. "So they remember. All of you do remember."

"Always."

"Thank you."

"For what?" Lancer asked, but when he turned the teen idol was gone. He looked around and even circled his car but didn't see any sign of where she had disappeared. At one time he might have questioned it further, but so many odd things happened in this town that he no longer bothered. Instead, he took one last long look at the overgrown property and then got in his car.

The vehicle rumbled to life and he pulled into the street. It was time to leave this place behind. At least until next year.


End file.
